Astronauts try out new Boeing space capsule

By By AUBREY COHEN

on July 23, 2013 3:05 PM

Two NASA astronauts Monday checked out how Boeing's planned space capsule accommodates people in flight suits. It was also the first time Boeing showed the capsule's interior.

Boeing is one of three companies developing private craft to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Since the retirement of the final space shuttle two years ago, NASA has sent astronauts to the station aboard Russian capsules.

Boeing's proposed CST-100 is optimized to seat five crew members, but could accommodate up to seven, or a mix of crew and cargo.

"While the spacecraft may resemble Boeing's heritage Apollo-era capsules from an exterior perspective, its interior is a reflection of modern technology," the company said. "From the ambient sky blue LED lighting and tablet technology, the company ensured the CST-100 is a modern spacecraft."

Other "innovative elements" of the capsule are its weld-free design,
modern structures and upgraded thermal protection techniques, Boeing
said. It said its spun-formed shell reduces mass and construction time.

"What you're not going to find is 1,100 or 1,600 switches," Chris Ferguson, director of Boeing's Crew and Mission Operations and a former NASA astronaut, said in a news release. "When these guys go up in this, they're primary mission is not to fly this spacecraft, they're primary mission is to go to the space station for six months. So we don't want to burden them with an inordinate amount of training to fly this vehicle. We want it to be intuitive." less

Two NASA astronauts Monday checked out how Boeing's planned space capsule accommodates people in flight suits. It was also the first time Boeing showed the capsule's interior.

Boeing's Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 spacecraft descends with its parachutes and airbags deployed after being dropped from an Erickson Air Crane helicopter on May 2, 2012 at the Delamar Dry Lake Bed, near Alamo, Nev. less

Boeing's Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 spacecraft descends with its parachutes and airbags deployed after being dropped from an Erickson Air Crane helicopter on May 2, 2012 at the Delamar Dry Lake Bed, ... more